Teacher: Ms. Murphy Office Location: Education Center lobby Office Hours: Monday and Thursday 3 - 5pm E-mail: caroline.f.murphy@maine.edu
Summary of Unit
This unit will explore the elements of theme, cultural context, and autobiographical influence as they pertain to the novel Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. By the conclusion of the unit, students should be able to identify the novel's themes and how they are developed throughout the text and affected by the autobiographical elements. They will also explore various components of 1920s American culture and how they affect the novel's plot and characters. The main goal of this unit is for students to grow in their understanding of theways in which the various facets of a novel come together to create one cohesive piece of literature.
Establish Goals Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text. 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. 5. Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g. the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
Students will understand that
•Novels have specific themes that are developed in various ways throughout the text.
•Literature is heavily influenced by its language and cultural setting.
•Autobiographical elements of a novel have strong implications for its plot and characters.
Essential Questions
•How does Fitzgerald reveal the themes of the novel?
•Why did Fitzgerald use the specific language and cultural setting of the novel?
•How is the text autobiographical, and how does this affect the plot, characters, etc?
Students will know •themes and messages (greed, loss of innocence, psychiatry, deception) •cultural implications
Jazz Age, prohibition, Great Depression, women's suffrage, jazz music •autobiographical details (Zelda Sayre, Ernest Hemingway, "Lost Generation", French Riviera, alcoholism, schizophrenia)
Students will be able to
•Derive meaning from the language of the text and its cultural background.
•Evaluate themes of the novel and their application to real-life situations.
•Exhibit their knowledge of cultural movements and language styles.
•Infer themes of the novel from plot and character development.
•Consider the ways that the autobiographical elements of the text influenced its plot, characters, etc.
•Reflect on Fitzgerald's autobiographical connections to his text and examine their own lives in return.
Performance Task Overview Your class has been given the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of F. Scott Fitzgerald and 1920s American culture following the conclusion of your unit on Tender is the Night. Fox Searchlight is looking to film a sequel of the novel and they are giving your students the opportunity to contribute to the project. Working in pairs, students will create a Prezi digital presentation describing what they believe happens to the novel's main characters after its conclusion. Their work of fiction should express considerable knowledge of the historical context and the themes and message of the novel, and the presentation must include creative writing, visual, and audio/video elements. The project that is judged the best by the Fox Searchlight panel will win, and the students will have the opportunity to assist the film's screenwriter.
Expectations Absences: Students are expected to follow school policy for notifying the school when they will be absent. It is the student's responsibility to contact the teacher and their classmates to get make up work, which will be given a due date specified by the teacher. Skipping class will not grant students extra time to make up work and those situations will be handled according to school policy.
Plagiarism: Plagarism in any form will not be tolerated in or out of the classroom. Incidents that the teacher finds concerning will be handled between the teacher and the student, and appropriate disciplinary action (according to school policy) will occur if necessary.
Assignments: Assignments are expected to be completed on time and with all of the required elements as specified by the teacher. Assignments should be neat, grammatically correct, and using the correct formatting as specified by the teacher.
Classroom Expectations: Students are expected to have a respectful attitude and abide by all classroom and school rules at all times. They should come to class prepared with all of the necessary materials, completed homework and/or projects, and a desire to contribute to the learning community.
Benchmarks
• A Glogster digital poster that shows the student placing themselves in America in the 1920s: students will create a creative image that shows how they imagine their lives would be had they lived in the time of Tender is the Night, including how they would dress and what they would do for fun. It will be graded on creativity, innovative use of technology, and historical accuracy and will be worth 20 out of 200 points.
• A Wiki that creatively informs on some aspect of 1920s American culture: working in groups, students will be assigned a specific historical event or concept (such as the Jazz Age, prohibition, and World War I) and create a Wiki page that teaches it to the class. It will be graded on historical accuracy and innovative use of technology and will be worth 20 out of 200 points.
• A digital portfolio that shows how Fitzgerald developed the novel's themes through plot, character, etc: Tthrough collecting their blog entries, discussion notes, and a piece of original artwork into one project, students will demonstrate how their knowledge of the development of theme in Tender is the Night has grown throughout the unit. It will be graded on creatvity and accuracy and will be worth 20 out of 200 points.
• A short film that compares Fitzgerald's life to that of his characters: summarizing their study of the autobiographical elements of Tender is the Night, students will show the ways in which Fitzgerald's novel mirrored his own life, the way it did not, and the reasoning behind both approaches. It will be graded on creativity and innovative use of technology and will be worth 30 out of 200 points.
• A weekly blog with specific prompts to guide students in reflecting on the reading: with emphasis on the author's writing process, students will be able to fully immerse themselves in the narrative process and track their own comprehension process as it evolves throughout the unit. It will be graded on writing skills and creative progress throughout the unit and will be worth 40 out of 200 points.
• A Prezi that shows what happened to the main characters after the conclusion of the novel: this will give students the chance to apply everything they have learned throughout the unit about theme, autobiography, and the ways that the two come together to influence plot and character structure, and apply it creatively to a work of their own fiction. It will be graded on creativity, writing skills, and innovative extention of the novel's themes, and will be worth 70 out of 200 points.
Grading Scale
A (93 -100), A- (90 - 92), B+ (87 - 89), B (83 - 86), B- (80 - 82), C+(77 - 79), C (73-76), C- (70 - 72), D+(67 - 69), D (63 - 66), D- (60 - 62), F (0 - 59).
Office Location: Education Center lobby
Office Hours: Monday and Thursday 3 - 5pm
E-mail: caroline.f.murphy@maine.edu
Summary of Unit
This unit will explore the elements of theme, cultural context, and autobiographical influence as they pertain to the novel Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. By the conclusion of the unit, students should be able to identify the novel's themes and how they are developed throughout the text and affected by the autobiographical elements. They will also explore various components of 1920s American culture and how they affect the novel's plot and characters. The main goal of this unit is for students to grow in their understanding of theways in which the various facets of a novel come together to create one cohesive piece of literature.Establish Goals
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.
5. Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g. the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
Students will understand that
•Novels have specific themes that are developed in various ways throughout the text.•Literature is heavily influenced by its language and cultural setting.
•Autobiographical elements of a novel have strong implications for its plot and characters.
Essential Questions
•How does Fitzgerald reveal the themes of the novel?
•Why did Fitzgerald use the specific language and cultural setting of the novel?
•How is the text autobiographical, and how does this affect the plot, characters, etc?
Students will know
•themes and messages
(greed, loss of innocence, psychiatry, deception)
•cultural implications
Jazz Age, prohibition, Great Depression, women's suffrage, jazz music
•autobiographical details
(Zelda Sayre, Ernest Hemingway, "Lost Generation", French Riviera, alcoholism, schizophrenia)
Students will be able to
•Derive meaning from the language of the text and its cultural background.
•Evaluate themes of the novel and their application to real-life situations.
•Exhibit their knowledge of cultural movements and language styles.
•Infer themes of the novel from plot and character development.
•Consider the ways that the autobiographical elements of the text influenced its plot, characters, etc.
•Reflect on Fitzgerald's autobiographical connections to his text and examine their own lives in return.
Performance Task Overview
Your class has been given the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of F. Scott Fitzgerald and 1920s American culture following the conclusion of your unit on Tender is the Night. Fox Searchlight is looking to film a sequel of the novel and they are giving your students the opportunity to contribute to the project. Working in pairs, students will create a Prezi digital presentation describing what they believe happens to the novel's main characters after its conclusion. Their work of fiction should express considerable knowledge of the historical context and the themes and message of the novel, and the presentation must include creative writing, visual, and audio/video elements. The project that is judged the best by the Fox Searchlight panel will win, and the students will have the opportunity to assist the film's screenwriter.
Expectations
Absences: Students are expected to follow school policy for notifying the school when they will be absent. It is the student's responsibility to contact the teacher and their classmates to get make up work, which will be given a due date specified by the teacher. Skipping class will not grant students extra time to make up work and those situations will be handled according to school policy.
Plagiarism: Plagarism in any form will not be tolerated in or out of the classroom. Incidents that the teacher finds concerning will be handled between the teacher and the student, and appropriate disciplinary action (according to school policy) will occur if necessary.
Assignments: Assignments are expected to be completed on time and with all of the required elements as specified by the teacher. Assignments should be neat, grammatically correct, and using the correct formatting as specified by the teacher.
Classroom Expectations: Students are expected to have a respectful attitude and abide by all classroom and school rules at all times. They should come to class prepared with all of the necessary materials, completed homework and/or projects, and a desire to contribute to the learning community.
Benchmarks
• A Glogster digital poster that shows the student placing themselves in America in the 1920s: students will create a creative image that shows how they imagine their lives would be had they lived in the time of Tender is the Night, including how they would dress and what they would do for fun. It will be graded on creativity, innovative use of technology, and historical accuracy and will be worth 20 out of 200 points.• A Wiki that creatively informs on some aspect of 1920s American culture: working in groups, students will be assigned a specific historical event or concept (such as the Jazz Age, prohibition, and World War I) and create a Wiki page that teaches it to the class. It will be graded on historical accuracy and innovative use of technology and will be worth 20 out of 200 points.
• A digital portfolio that shows how Fitzgerald developed the novel's themes through plot, character, etc: Tthrough collecting their blog entries, discussion notes, and a piece of original artwork into one project, students will demonstrate how their knowledge of the development of theme in Tender is the Night has grown throughout the unit. It will be graded on creatvity and accuracy and will be worth 20 out of 200 points.
• A short film that compares Fitzgerald's life to that of his characters: summarizing their study of the autobiographical elements of Tender is the Night, students will show the ways in which Fitzgerald's novel mirrored his own life, the way it did not, and the reasoning behind both approaches. It will be graded on creativity and innovative use of technology and will be worth 30 out of 200 points.
• A weekly blog with specific prompts to guide students in reflecting on the reading: with emphasis on the author's writing process, students will be able to fully immerse themselves in the narrative process and track their own comprehension process as it evolves throughout the unit. It will be graded on writing skills and creative progress throughout the unit and will be worth 40 out of 200 points.
• A Prezi that shows what happened to the main characters after the conclusion of the novel: this will give students the chance to apply everything they have learned throughout the unit about theme, autobiography, and the ways that the two come together to influence plot and character structure, and apply it creatively to a work of their own fiction. It will be graded on creativity, writing skills, and innovative extention of the novel's themes, and will be worth 70 out of 200 points.
Grading Scale
A (93 -100), A- (90 - 92), B+ (87 - 89), B (83 - 86), B- (80 - 82), C+(77 - 79), C (73-76), C- (70 - 72), D+(67 - 69), D (63 - 66), D- (60 - 62), F (0 - 59).